Georgetown Celebrates Commencement 2014

Two graduates celebrate with a hug after Sunday's Law Center commencement ceremony on Healy Lawn.

Joan Biskupic (L'93), journalist and author of American Original: The Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, receives an honorary Doctor of Laws during the ceremony.

"Brace yourself for the unpredictable," Kenneth Feinberg tells graduates of Georgetown's Law Center on Sunday.

More than 1,100 Class of 2014 graduates receive their J.D. or LL.M degrees from the Georgetown's Law Center.

Graduates recite the Hippocratic Oath during the School of Medicine comment ceremony at Warner Theatre.

“You will give [patients] the personal touch, the caring and the intimacy that technology and science cannot replace. You will do this because you have been educated at Georgetown, in the Jesuit tradition that cares for both the body and the soul,” Dr. George Thibault (C’65) told the medical school Class of 2014.

Students celebrate after the last of their MSB classmates receive their diplomas on stage.

Steve Case, chair of the Case Foundation and former CEO and president of AOL, advises MSB graduates to persevere in their business pursuits.

Two of the McDonough School of Business' 300 students wait before walking on the stage to get their diplomas during the school's commencement ceremony.

Graduates from the School of Foreign Service share a tender moment with Jack the Bulldog before commencement begins.

Georgetown awards diplomas to 360 SFS graduates.

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (G'74) addresses the SFS graduates.

Gates, who received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, told SFS graduates he believed in "the critical importance of diplomacy and development."

The 463 students graduating from the School of Nursing and Health Studies make their way to Healy Lawn for the start of their commencement.

An NHS student sports a dreamcatcher on her mortar board as she prepares to graduate from Georgetown.

Alan I. Leshner, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), encourages NHS graduates to positively impact the lives of others.

More than 850 seniors gather on Healy Lawn for Georgetown College's commencement ceremony.

A graduate tears up and shares a hug with President John J. DeGioia during Georgetown College commencement exercises.

“Wherever you go, Occam’s razor [economic principle], really works. The law of supply and demand, still holds ... Being a person for others, really works,” Guy Consolmagno, S.J., tells the Georgetown College graduates.

A Georgetown College graduate takes a "selfie" shot with Georgetown President John J. DeGioia while crossing the stage.

Georgetown University Medical School graduates take the oath of office during an Armed Forces Commissioning Ceremony on Saturday.

Lakhdar Brahimi, the United Nations-Arab League envoy for Syria, speaks to graduates during the Tropaia Awards Ceremony for the Master of Science in Foreign Service Program on May 16.

More than 500 students graduated from Georgetown's School of Continuing Studies during Friday's commencement ceremony on Healy Lawn.

Marilyn Jordan Taylor, dean at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, advised School of Continuing Studies graduates to "appreciate each other, seek other voices [and] believe in collective intelligence."

McDonough School of Business Dean David Thomas, left, and Georgetown President John J. DeGioia hood TIAA-CREF President and CEO Roger W. Ferguson Jr., during the 2014 MBA Commencement.

Georgetown President John J. DeGioia congratulates a student after getting a diploma from a McDonough School of Business graduate program.

A Biomedical Graduate Education student proclaims the next step in her journey during the program's diploma awarding ceremony.

Students gather around University Registrar John Q. Pierce before their Graduate School of Arts and Sciences commencement ceremony begins on May 16.

Members of the Hoya Battalion, which includes students from Georgetown, The Catholic University of America, George Washington and American universities, stand during the ROTC Commissioning Ceremony.

Retired Gen. George W. Casey (SFS'70), former U.S. Army chief of staff, administers the oath of office to 23 new second lieutenants on May 16.

A graduate snaps a photo in McDonough Arena during the McCourt School of Public Policy's first commencement ceremony.

Frank H. McCourt Jr., U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew and Georgetown President John J. DeGioia listen on during the McCourt School of Public Policy commencement ceremony on May 15.

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May 19, 2014– Georgetown graduated over 4,600 students in 10 ceremonies during Commencement Weekend 2014, May 15-18.

The graduates, who were from 49 states and 27 countries,took 62,722 courses and earned 186,701 credit hours.

“Commencement is always such a special time for our community – when we can express our gratitude to our graduates for all that they’ve meant to us over their time at Georgetown and to acknowledge all they've accomplished in the classroom and beyond,” said Georgetown President John J. DeGioia.

This year commencement speakers, which included one current and one former U.S. cabinet secretary, encouraged Georgetown graduates to make a positive difference in the world as they leave campus.

“You leave Georgetown at a moment when our country faces a number of important public policy challenges,” said U.S. Secretary of Treasury Jacob J. Lew (L'83).

Lew received an honorary doctor of humane letters during the McCourt School of Public Policy (MSPP) commencement.

“… I hope you not only bring the analytical skills you developed in your studies, but also the ability to work with those who hold different views to fashion honorable compromises that will move our country forward," he added.

Robert Gates (G’74), who received his Ph.D. in Russian and Soviet history, spoke to graduates from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service (SFS).

“I have been a strong advocate of soft power, of the critical importance of diplomacy and development,” he said after receiving an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during the SFS commencement ceremony.

But the Georgetown alumnus and former U.S. Secretary of Defense also talked about the importance of “hard power,” and said that the ultimate success against aggressors, dictators and terrorists in the 21st century is a strong American military.

“It falls to you, the next generation of globally oriented citizens and leaders, to pick up that mantle,” he said.

Caroline Cotto (NHS’14), a human science major, says her time at Georgetown helped her realize the importance of serving others.

“My experiences through programs like Leadership and Beyond Pre-Orientation and Alternative Spring Break have given me the space to reflect on who I am, how I got there, who helped me along the way, who I want to be and how I want to give back,” said Cotto, who will teach English in Taiwan as part of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. “I know that the value of service and reflection that my Georgetown education has instilled in me will follow me not only in Taiwan but for the rest of my life.”

As graduates leave Georgetown for the last time as students, their presence on campus will always be welcome.

“As our graduates embark on the next phase in their journey, we hope that they will always consider Georgetown a home and carry with them the values that animate our tradition and inform our way of life,” said DeGioia.

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